Sake. I love it but rarely do I splurge on it. Yet with summer’s heat, something chilled, refreshing, yet deceptively high in alcohol sounds perfect (next time Fino Sherry, I promise).

This Thirsty Thursday our glasses travel to Japan. Uehara Brewery began in 1862 amidst upheaval in Japan. Commodore Perry had shelled Japan into trade with the US eight years prior. Centuries of Shogunate and Samurai rule were crumbling. Smelly Westerners ran rampant in the streets. Famine, unemployment, riots, and hysteric movements raged throughout: good time to start a brewery.

Seven generations later, Uehara has revived wooden barrels and presses. Their rice comes from local, sustainable farms in the sleepy, green oasis of Shiga, Japan. They polish it too 59%, avoid charcoal filters, dilution, and pasteurization (Muroka Nama Genshu): all common modern “refinements” of most sake today.